


Worth the wait: A lesson in parenthood

by clairesmh



Series: Worth the wait [2]
Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: AU, F/M, Family Fluff, Future Fic, Ice Skating, It's a family business, figure skating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-26
Updated: 2018-05-25
Packaged: 2019-04-28 00:36:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14437644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clairesmh/pseuds/clairesmh
Summary: Lesson #1: Learn to expect the unexpected. Especially when it comes to a little Virtue-Moir kid.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey!
> 
> Here's a little future fic about the Virtue-Moir family. Originally I was going to post just one 4k words chapter but I couldn't wait until I finished so I divided it in 4 parts. I hope you enjoy it :)

The arena was at its maximum capacity, there was the noise from the talk and the pop hits playing through the speakers. It was the first day of competition.

Scott was a mess. The nerves were getting the best of him, and he barely could control it.

Tessa pulled him into her arms, running a hand in circular motions over his broad back. “Everything is going to be ok,” she whispered in his ear, and his grip tightened around her.

“Why are we doing this?”

“It's an act of pure love."

"And insanity." He mumbled under his breath.

He let a frustrated sigh and curved his head until his forehead touched her shoulder. She was somehow more calm than him this time, she had put on her brave girl pose for him and the family.

She looked up to the public, and there was a row of the Virtue and Moir clan. Their moms sitting side by side, both with excited and apprehensive looks on their faces. Her father in law was just as bad as Scott, the nervousness was palpable while he had his eyes fixed on the ice, accompanying every movement and turn made.

Tessa followed his look, and the sight made the butterflies on her stomach go crazy, she was fucking terrified.

“It’s worse than when it was the two of us on the ice.” She said to Scott finally.

"A thousand times worse." He nodded.

They took a step back from their embrace and turned to the lovely girl with dark brown hair and incredible green eyes gliding through the ice with such ability and elegance. She was definitely her mother's daughter.

Tessa squeezed Scott's hand as they both watched her with their hearts beaming with pride and love.

"Go Em!" They heard a very familiar voice and looked up to see their boy screaming his lungs out. Alma pulled him back to his seat in a second, and he crossed his arms annoyed. He was now 8 years old, and couldn't quite understand the term concentration.

Emma finished her double axle perfectly and skated closer to where her family was. The elaborate costume in a deep blue colour glittered beneath the lights as she moved. He looked up to her little brother and waved to his delight. Alma just shook her head with a smile, seeing him jump out of his seat again.

"She made Patrick's day with that one," Tessa said.

"He adores her."

The skaters were asked to finish their warm-up and vacate the ice. Emma was in the second to last group of the JGP in Salzburg, it was her first year, with only 14 years old. As parents, Tessa and Scott were reluctant to let her go to her first International competition at such young age, but as ex-athletes, they knew she was ready. And she wanted it so badly that they couldn't say no to that pretty face.

Emma had grown in the business, she was not only a Moir but a Virtue-Moir, and the pressure could be a bit overwhelming sometimes, but she had got her parents competitiveness, and she loved a good challenge.

Scott had given her first skates on her second birthday. Bought and tailored for her from de Moir's Skate Shop. It didn't quite fit her until about a year later when they could finally have that fantastic picture perfect moment when the three of them stepped on the ice together.

The grandmas had the cameras out registering everything. Their nephews were already on the ice, skating around the rink in Ilderton Skate Club and it was indeed a family event. Tessa could feel the excitement emanating from her husband's body when he finished tying Emma's laces. Of course, she has overly emotional, and she dreamed of his day too many times to count. But Emma was full of personality and could be a bit unpredictable at times.

She wanted to put her ballet collant and a tutu for the day, and she looked like just the cutest thing ever.

Emma was starting to lose the baby cheeks and the round face Tessa was in love with since day one. Her hair was getting longer and darker, it should be something between hers and Scott's tone. And in every aspect, she was their best creation.

She took a couple of steps towards them and crouched in front of her "Are you ready Em?"

The little girls nodded eagerly and took both her parents hands to get up. They walked to the ice and Tessa got in first, her eyes never leaving her daughter, she couldn't stop smiling at her.

Except for the fact that Emma hated it. She tried a few wobbly slides, and she just couldn't get it right. Scott wanted to help her, showing patiently how to do. When he let go of her hand to show her some moves, she lost her thin balance and would have fallen if Tessa was not holding her hand. She started crying for the scare and Scott instantly lifted her into his arms and checked every inch of her body for an injury, even though he knew she couldn't have got hurt.

Tessa was glued to their side, "what's it love?" The soothing motherly voice hid well the slight panic she felt from hearing the fistful cry of her little girl.

Scott laid his daughter's head on his shoulder, his hand over her head in a protective way. The sobs became a small whine until she spoke up, "I don't like it."

Tessa saw her husband face fall apart. He didn't hide it from her, he couldn't. Scott had too high expectations about it. But to their daughter, he only showed the loving father he was. "It's ok baby, we can try it another time. Why don't we go to grandma Kate to get a hot chocolate? Would you like that?"

She nodded against his shoulder, and he kissed her hair, skating out of rink carefully, he had the most precious cargo in his arms. Tessa watched Emma sniffing in her dad's shoulder, looking right into her. She extended a small hand to Tessa, and she took it, placing a kiss on the back of it and holding tightly. It broke her heart to see her with the pout on her lips and the big green eyes still wet from her tears, but she wanted their daughter to love it, it was a huge part of who they were, their family and their history. Emma was a Virtue-Moir, and everyone had expectations about it. Even her parents, secretly.

That night when Scott went to bed after putting Emma to sleep, Tessa was waiting for him. He got under the covers, his back facing her, and she circled her arms around his waist.

"Are you ok?" Tessa kissed his bare shoulder lightly.

He nodded, linking his hands to hers. "Yeah, I should have known better to build that many expectations."

"We all did, didn't you see our moms' faces when we got out of the rink?" Tessa chuckled, resting her cheek on his back.

"I did. But it's not fair to Em, she should do what she wants to."

"She was the one who asked to go, Scott, we didn't force her, she just didn't like it. Maybe some other time..."

"Maybe." He turned to face her, his hand framing her face under the dim light of her bedside table lamp. "Are you ok?"

"We are some kind of parents." She smiled. "I was already picturing her in the cutest costumes."

"We are learning. We can blame my mom for talking too much about the Moir Skating Genes."

"As if…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twitter: claire_smh
> 
> What did you think? I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for reading and until next time!
> 
> Next chapter: Emma is a bit older and starts to rediscover skating on her own.


	2. Chapter 2

In the summer of her sixth year, Emma travelled the well-known journey from Montreal to London, this time with her grandma Kate. Her parents went to Japan to a special presentation, and then they would meet her at their London home before the summer ended and she had to go back to school

She had a sleepover at her grandma Kate, she stayed at her mother's old room that night.

It was still early when she woke up, the sun was shyly peeking through the cream curtains. She spent some time looking around the room, too awake to fall back into sleep. There were lots of pictures of her parents there, some of them were the same she saw back home. They had their medals as well, it was their prize when they did their job really well.

They didn't have boring jobs like her friends' parents. Nowadays they didn't compete anymore, but still did presentations occasionally. She loved watching them even though she was too afraid to skate herself. Her cousins often made fun of her because of it, yet her mom and dad always told her she shouldn't be ashamed of it, she was good at many other stuff, like dancing and playing the piano.

Emma knew where her grandma kept her mom's old stuff. She looked at the closet door from her place in bed and considered some exploring. It was still early, and grandma always let her sleep until late whenever she was there.

She threw the covers aside and got up quietly, walking with her sock-clad feet to the closet. The door creaked a bit when she opened, not enough to wake anyone, hopefully.

Emma walked to a corner, using all her little strength to pull the box on the floor from under a shelf. She dug in, going through tons of pictures, more medals and a couple of beautiful outfits, full of glitter and shiny beads. There was a blue one, her favourite colour, the flowy skirt was so soft between her fingers.

When she put it on, it was too big for her, and the lycra was clinging at strange places over her PJs, but she felt beautiful. She twirled around in front of the mirror until she lost her balance and landed on her butt, giggling in pure bliss.

The little girl crawled to the box again and reached for the old pair of skates. It was considerably smaller than the ones her mom usually wore now, maybe it could fit her. The blades were protected as her father always told her it should be when not in use and she put it on. She took her time tieing the laces really tight as her mom did, the little frown of concentration between her brows as she did it. When she checked, It was a bit big for her, but she could stand.

Holding herself against the wall, she loved what she saw, her little green eyes shining in the mirror. The costume and the skates... it was so cool.

Kate pushed the door slowly to come to the sight of her granddaughter all dressed up in one of Tessa's costumes, standing on the old pair of skates. She looked just like little Tessa, and it brought such warmth to her heart. "Emma, sweetie, what are you doing?"

She spun and almost lost her balance. She looked a the floor, a huge mess around her, before looking at her grandma. Thankfully, she didn't seem mad, just surprised. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to see mom's stuff."

"That's ok dear, we could have gone through it together. Why don't we clean this mess and go downstairs to have breakfast then I can show you where I keep the other costumes your mom had?" 

"Ok." She nodded, looking more excited to her grandma.

Half an hour later, when Kate had put a bowl of cereal in front of her, she quickly slipped away from the kitchen and got her phone. She had to share it with someone, but she didn't want to get her daughter's hopes up.

"Alma, you're never going to believe what Emma did today." She told on the phone, the excitement bubbling under her voice. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! 
> 
> Is anyone alive in this fandom after the SOI media from yesterday? I'm barely.
> 
> This one was a bit shorter than I usually post, but I promise to make it up to you on the next. I should post it on Monday...
> 
> What did you think? Please, let me know in the comments! As always, thanks for reading :) 
> 
>  
> 
> Twitter: claire_smh


	3. Chapter 3

In December they were back in London to spend the holidays with their families, and Scott had Emma along with him to run some errands on Christmas Eve. They were in a severe karaoke marathon while Scott navigated the snow packed roads on his way to his mom's house.

"Daddy." When the song finished, Emma called him from her car seat on the back, and Scott turned the volume down to hear her.

"Yes, Em?"

"I think it's not fair that baby Patrick doesn't get any presents from Santa, mommy said he'll be here soon, he should have new toys to play with."

Scott looked at her at the rearview mirror with a smile on his lips. His daughter was the best creature in the world, how could he have created such a perfect human being? 

"Baby Patrick will be born in the spring, Em, and he'll too little to play for awhile, remember when mommy explained to you that babies sleep a lot in the first months to grow strong before they can play with you when they get older?"

"It's still unfair," she shrugged her little shoulders, "everyone gets presents, he needs a present too."

"Tell you what, you could choose something for him. It's too late to ask Santa, he probably already packed everything to make his deliveries." He tried to be serious, matching his tone to hers "So you could pick a really nice gift for him, and when he comes, you'll give him. How does it sound?"

She was pondering it, and Scott could almost hear the wheels turning in her little head. "I'm not Santa, but ok."

"Nice. We'll see grandma Alma, and then we can go shopping, but you have to think fast ok?"

"Ok!" She decided she liked the idea.

Scott didn't notice he had a soft smile plastered on his face when turned his focus entirely on the road ahead, it was too familiar for him to be amazed by her and still, she never ceased to surprise him with her special way to see the world.

As soon they arrived at the Moir house, they got warm by the fire and treated themselves with hot chocolate and gingerbread cookies that Alma had waiting for them, the whole house smelled like Christmas, just like it always had been since he was a kid. There was a massive tree in the corner of the room, decorated with the newest generation of Moirs pieces of art. Every year, since Emma was born, he went an extra mile to make sure his daughter had the best Christmas memories, just like he and Tessa did.

Tessa would decorate the entire house, both in Montreal and in London. The three of them would go to pick a beautiful tree in London and Scott would set it and let the decorations to the girls while he took care of dinner. They would spoil her rotten with the number of gifts she got from her parents and all the family.

They were chatting for a bit, Joe comfortably sitting on his chair in front of the TV and Emma by his side, telling him about how she had learned a new song to play on the piano on Christmas day. Scott gave his mother a meaningful look and discreetly walked out of the living room.

"Emma, wanna come with me to check the cookies in the oven? I bet your mom would like if you take some for her." 

"Is it the chocolate ones?" Alma nodded. "They are her favourites!"

Emma jumped out of the sofa and ran after her. Alma told her to sit at the table and keep her distance from the hot oven. She watched closely everything Alma was doing, from taking the baking sheet out of the oven to putting the cookies on the cooling rack at the table. On the back of her mind, she was actively thinking about what she could give her brother for Christmas until it hit her.

"Grandma Alma, I need your help." She said suddenly. 

Alma turned to her. "What is it, sweetie?"

"It's a secret."

Her granddaughter climbed stood up in the chair she was sitting and leaned to whisper in her ear, and Alma listened attentively. That precious child.

"Can you do it, Grandma? Please?" 

"Of course, love. I'll make the special request for you."

"Thanks!" She squeezed her little arms around Alma's waist in pure happiness. "This will be the best Christmas ever!"

Back in the living room, Scott spoke up "Are you ready to go, baby? We still need to buy the present to Patrick."

"Grams will take care of it" She declared, walking out of the kitchen in front of the older woman with a satisfied smile on her face and a container full of chocolate cookies for her mommy.

Scott looked at his mom, and she nodded in conspiracy with her granddaughter.

"Ok? Let's go then, I've already got what I needed." That meant all the gifts they hid from Emma there. "Your mom asked us to get some things from the groceries store on our way home, we are having pancakes tomorrow."

"Yes!" The little girl fist bumped the air and ran to her father, grabbing his hand quickly. 

"Are you not saying goodbye to your grandparents Emma?" Alma said, he was such Scott's daughter, always thinking with her stomach. 

"Ops" She went to her grampa first, climbing his chair to give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek "Bye gramps Joe." 

"Bye sweetie, be good to your parents." She nodded solemnly. And did the same to her grandmother.

* * *

Later that day, Tessa gave Emma a kiss on the cheek and quietly left her daughter's room, every year was a bit more difficult to convince her that she needed to go to bed so Santa could come and leave her presents below the tree. Soon, Tessa was sure, her baby would find out that mom had a perfect hiding spot in her closet with the absurd amount of presents her parents got for her.

Tessa got the last presets she finished wrapping that afternoon while Emma and Scott were out and walked into the living room of their London home, putting an arm full of gifts close to the tree where Scott had already started to arrange some.   
The fire was cracking, warming up the cold night and filling the room with the comforting smell of burning cherry wood. Scott had already put the little gifts on the named socks by the fireplace and chose a very Christmassy playlist just because they were that kind of cheesy couple.

She absolutely loved Christmas and spent almost 12 months collecting references to decorate both their homes with a little more dedication to the house in their hometown. That year, she chose yellow lights and copper ornaments for the massive tree sitting in the corner of the room right beside the fireplace. The same golden star they had from their first Christmas as a married couple sat on top, and since Emma could sit on her father's shoulders and have enough coordination to do it, she was the one entitled to the task place it there.

She had so many beautiful memories crafted in that same room. And so many more yet to come.

Scott walked into the room, placing a mug of hot chocolate on the coffee table and went to wrap his arms around Tessa. The soft skin under his old Canadian flannel shirt was like a magnet for his hands. He loved to cradle her baby bump and feel the new - and restless - life growing inside of her. Pregnancy suited his wife in a way that made her glow like he never seen before their first time with Emma.

"Is she asleep?" He asked, nuzzling her neck. 

Tessa leaned into his chest, putting her hands on top of his. "Yep, but I'm sure she will be up before dawn this year. She's so excited, I can't handle how cute she is."

"I know." He had the same feeling that afternoon.

She sat on the floor with considerable ease due to her many years of training. Being 5 months pregnant hadn't affected her balance, yet. She still could do almost anything, if her always doting husband weren't quicker than her, which was not that difficult these days, and had it done for her.

Scott handed the mug to Tessa, and she thanked him, he pushed the other bag of gifts closer to her so she could work her magic and arrange it all under the tree.

He got himself on the floor to help her, "Emma is up to something, and mom is helping her." 

"Why do you think so?"

"When we were in the car today, she told it wasn't fair that Patrick wouldn't get any gifts for Christmas just because he wasn't here yet. So I told her to think of something so we could buy and put under the tree when we got home. But apparently, she arranged it all with grandma when we got there, and mom dropped it when you were putting her to bed."

"Are you serious?" He nodded. "What did we do to deserve a child like Emma?"

"I have no idea, but I'm not complaining. And I'm sure Patrick will be just as good." Scott kissed the side of her head affectionately and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Thanks for all of this, Tessa. Never in a million years, I thought I'd be as happy as I am now."

"That goes both ways." She tilted her head up and really kissed him.

With one arm still wrapped around her, he reached a medium box, wrapped in red paper, with a golden ribbon on top. On the tag, it said "To Patrick, From Emma" in his mom's handwriting. He handed it to Tessa, and she felt the weight, shaking it carefully to try to guess what was it.

"I have no idea what is it." He had done it already, even considered opening the package very carefully but he was too sloppy to do it without leaving traces. It was Tessa's job to do all the wrapping and make it pretty, she always knew what were his presents to her just by looking at the wrapping.

“I guess we’ll have to wait until tomorrow.” She said, pouting just like her daughter had done earlier when she told her it was time for bed. Now they were both as excited and anxious to the Christmas morning as they daughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for the lovely comments on this fic! 
> 
> And clearly I don't have a word count pattern for this... 
> 
> Sorry about the absurd level of fluffiness, my characters often get the best of me and suddenly I can't control them *shrugs* apparently I really like writing about Emma and these two being a cute couple. 
> 
> I hope to post the last two chapter until the end of the week so I can focus on the new fic I started posting this weekend.
> 
> As always, I'd love to read about what are your thoughts about this little fic!
> 
> I hope you all have a great week and see you on next chapter :) 
> 
> Twitter: claire_smh


	4. Chapter 4

In the absolute silence of the night, Scott heard a little crackle on their bedroom door, followed by the thud of small steps on the hardwood floor. He kept his eyes closed, but he knew very well who was it. Emma always did it in the middle of the night, before Christmas morning since she could get out of her room and walk to theirs.

She tried to be as quiet as possible when she got to her parent's bed, and his wife barely woke up when the little girl snuggled to Tessa's side. The woman in his arms pressed her back closer to her his chest to give their girl a little room, putting an arm around the body curled against hers.

When Scott raised his head to look at them, they were already back to sleep. Next year their bed you get even smaller with the baby addition and he couldn't wait for it. He smiled softly against Tessa's hair, embracing both his girls, slowly falling into content slumber.

 

* * *

  

When the morning came, it was Emma who woke him up again. She rolled over her mom and got herself in the middle of the bed.

"Daddy!" She shot up, standing on the bed. "Wake up! It's present time!"

He opened one eye, "Are you sure? I don't think Santa came this year."

"Don't be silly, of course, he came!" She pushed her dad out of bed until he was up.

Tessa was already up and putting a robe on; she watched her little ball of energy with delight.

"Should we go downstairs to check?" Her mom asked.

"Yes!" She jumped out of bed and ran in front of her parents.

"Be careful on the stairs Emma!"

"Morning wife." Scott pulled her into his embrace, and she circled her arms around his neck. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Scotty." She raised her chin and kissed his lips softly.

"Mommy, daddy!" They heard Emma screaming and broke their kiss, "he came, Santa came!"

 

* * *

 

The next hour was spent opening an absurd amount of presents, Tessa and Scott sitting on the sofa and Emma dutifully handing the gifts to them.

"I wanted to say I miss snuggling up in bed with my wife on Christmas morning and doing a private gift exchange naked in bed. But damn, this is nice."

"Indeed."

It was about the smile he saw on Emma's face when she opened each present, how she showed them everything and played a little with a new gifted before going to the other.

He still had Tessa curled into his side, an arm around her shoulder and another resting on her belly, absently running a hand over it. She laid her head on his shoulder, watching their daughter with a smile on her face, commenting genuinely interested in every new gift she showed them.

When there were two presents left on the tree, she went over the there one more time and saw the name tags. One was for Patrick and another for herself.

Emma was bouncing up and down, too excited to keep herself still when she made her parents sit straighter on the sofa to give them the box. "This is for baby Patrick."

"Thank you very much, sweetie." Tessa hugged her daughter, the hormonal happy tears pooling in the corner of her eyes. "I'm sure your brother will love it!"

Scott put her on his lap and Tessa gently opened it to find a black box. When she took the lid off, there was a pair of black skates as little as the ones Scott got for Emma for her second birthday, sharpened blades and everything.

"My brother needed to have his own pair, just like everyone in our family."

Scott squeezed her body against his chest and dropped a kiss on her hair "That was really thoughtful of you Em. Thanks, baby." He was a bit divided between bursting into tears because that was just too cute and a being cautious. He had gone through this path once and when it didn't work out with his firstborn, he decided to forget about it. If one day they fell in love with skating, it should come from them, not from their family history.

Tessa looked at Scott and saw the dilemma on his face, "why don't you get the last present, baby?" she suggested, putting the box in her lap away carefully.

She didn't need to be told twice. Emma jumped out of her father's lap, knowing the other box was for her. She had been a good girl and the letter to Santa she gave to her grandma Kate specifically asked for new ice skates just like the ones her mommy had.

When she opened it, she wasn't disappointed. The pair of white skates sat below the blue tissue paper, and there was glitter blade guards matching. She got up from the floor with the box on her hand and both Tessa and Scott were seriously surprised by that last gift.

Emma walked to her father and put it on his lap. "Can you teach me, daddy? I want to skate like you and mommy."

"Are you sure, love?"

Scott was on the verge of tears and Tessa was too far gone since she saw the mini skates.

"I am." She said with determination.

 

* * *

 

The three of them went to the rink in the following day. Tessa was absolutely gutted that she couldn't get on the ice, but she took her time doing Emma's laces, teaching her how to do it correctly while she listened to every recommendation attentively.

Scott already had his skates on, though he was way less anxious than the first time. He just wanted his daughter to have a good time, whichever way she chose to.

"All set?" Tessa asked her, and she nodded. "Give mommy a hug and a kiss and daddy will take you to the ice."

She did it obediently, whispering an "I love you, mommy."

"Love you too, sweetheart, very much."

She waved her little hand to Tessa's belly, saying goodbye to her brother as well when her dad came to take her by the hand.

"Are you ready, Em?" He asked her, walking to the rink.

Wearing a pink legging and a white sweater, gloves and hat on too, Emma looked down at her new skates, taking tentative steps. "Yes," she said with no hesitation.

"First things first, know that I won't let go of you unless you want me to, I'll never let you fall, ever, ok?" She nodded. "Second, if you don't feel like doing it, or for any reason you don't like it, tell me, and we'll get out out ice."

"Ok, dad." Emma was losing her patience there; she just wanted to learn it already. Her dad was the best professor and coach in the world, and he was her daddy, duh! She would always be safe with him.

"Are you ready?"

"I already said I am."

"Ok, miss smartypants."

Tessa laughed at them, watching their interaction from a distance. She saw Scott holding her hand tightly when she first stepped on the ice and she knew it was probably more to reassure his heart than their daughter's.

He looked up at Tessa and they locked their gaze in a silent conversation. G _o on, she's going to be ok_ , Tessa said to him smiling softly. He nodded once, turning his full attention back to Emma.

It took precisely 10 minutes for little Emma to let go of her father's hand. "I can do it, daddy. See?" She said, bending her knees for extra balance as he had watched her father tell other kids to do.

He let her go but kept his hand just a few inches away, ready to grab her before she could fall.

Tessa was leaning on the rink boards, desperately wanting to be with them, and Patrick was kicking a storm in her belly, probably because his mom couldn't keep her heart still.

"I'm sorry, baby boy," She looked down, cradling her stomach, "mommy is a mess. Your sister is doing an amazing job on the ice, I know when you see her you'll be just as excited."

"Look at me, mommy!" Emma screamed louder than she really needed, they were all by themselves in Ilderton Skating Club and Scott kept Emma closer to the barriers so Tessa could watch them. She could see the excitement in her eyes and the purest form of happiness from each successful glide over the ice.

"I'm looking, love, you're doing great!"

The smile forming on her lips matched her husband's.

When she looked from her daughter to him, he did the same, just as in sync as they had been for more than 27 years now. There was an indescribable delight about the picture of their most precious gift having the time of her life in the place where it all began. Life was too generous to them sometimes.

"I love you" they mouthed to one another, tears in their eyes and never fading smiles.

 

* * *

 

 

Emma fell in love with the ice that same day.

Scott had to drag her out of the rink when the night came, and she would have slept with her skates on if they let her.

They both realised it was not about skating; it was about seeing her happy about something. Anything. The smile on her face and the way she told about it to her aunt and uncles in the following days, it made their hearts full.

The videos Tessa made that first day were on everyone's phone and Alma and Kate were beyond themselves with it. They felt in their hearts that little Emma was destined for something big.

She as a brave little girl. As soon she got the hang of it, she wanted to jump and jump each time higher. She didn't want to be paired up, because she couldn't do jumps or rotate in the air. But she loved to dance and learn new moves to use in between the acrobatics. When she was 10, she said she wanted to go to train for competitions and while in Montreal, there was no place like Gadbois. They accepted her, not because of her surname, but because she was driven and possessed an incredible talent.

Scott had to broke his promise to her, and eventually, he had to watch her fall countless times with his hands tied. She cried more times than his weak heart could take, sometimes just because it hurt, but others because of frustration or anger. He saw her doing twizzles one after another and failing sometimes. But she would always get up and say "again" and go back to training until it was absolutely perfect. She was restless.

His little girl deserved the fucking world.

They came a long way to that moment when they announced her name on the second day of competition. She was in 4th place after the short program, but she could get to the podium, damn, she could even win her first international gold medal.

At one point, Tessa and Scott joined their families to watch the program. Patrick was clutching Tessa's hand and saying "She will be great, mommy. Emma is the best."

"Yes, she is." She kissed her boy's head and put an arm around his shoulder. He leaned onto her side like the mama boy he was.

Scott reached for Tessa and grabbed her hand, kissing it lightly. They looked at each other over their son's head and shared a smile. Patrick was right, Emma was the best.

Emma positioned herself in the centre of the ice and everything grew silent. Scott could even hear his heart drumming right before the song started. She had chosen Umbrellas of Cherbourg, and at first, he was afraid because of the comparison, but she _loved_ that song. Now seeing all the work she had done with it, he would say to everyone who would try to compare, that Emma's Umbrellas was 100 times better than the Virtue-Moir, or the _retired_ Virtue-Moir.

Besides, he just found it funny now that this song was the only one who would put Emma to sleep in the first six months of her life. She must have had good dreams with it.

Her program was impeccable in both artistic and technical components. When she sat with her coach in the kiss and cry area and heard her score, she couldn't contain the excitement, she screamed a loud "Yes!" much like her father did once many years ago when they had won gold in Pyeongchang. She looked at the audience and quickly found all her family standing up, cheering on her.

Her father was the one clapping the loudest, her mom doing the crying and laughing thing and her little brother jumping non-stop, screaming her name.

They made her laugh every time; that was the best family in the world.

But she composed herself quickly and waited, there were still 3 of the most qualified and talented girls she knew and it wasn't over yet.

Tessa and Scott reached for her the minute she exited the competition area to the backstage to wait until the end.

"Emma!" Scott lifted her off the floor in a bear hug. "That was fantastic, baby."

"Thanks, Dad." She closed her eyes, enjoying the ring of his voice beaming with pride for her. There was nothing like receiving this compliment from the two most special people in her world, on and off the ice.

"It was wonderful, Em." Tessa was a bit more contained, like always, but the little sniff when they hugged gave away how emotional she was. She thanked her and gave a kiss on her cheek.

Emma sat on a chair, a bit more isolated from the competition frenzy, still keeping an eye on the monitor for the following presentations and the scores. Currently, she was in the first place.

Scott handed her a bottle of water, splitting his attention between the scores and his forever little girl. Tessa had done her hair during their traditional moment before a competition, it was in a neat updo on the base of her neck and the little makeup suddenly made her look so much older. She was using long bangs framing her face and the contrast of the deep brown of her hair made her eyes pop.

He still could close his eyes and see the tiny red face screaming her way into the world and stealing his heart away.

"Do you think I can make it, mom?" She asked Tessa in a moment of insecurity. Trust her mother to tell her the truth in that sensible and sweet way of hers.

"Only the scores will tell, sweetie, but you have all the chances. Remember this is only your first international competition."

"I know, I know." But she wanted to win too.

They always taught her winning was something they would always seek in the sport, but it was not the most important thing. _Be present_ , her mother said to her every time, _enjoy it, and put your heart and soul into everything you do; life will take care of the rest._

She would never doubt it.

The image in front of her of her mother's arms around her father's waist, resting her head on his shoulder while he held her close was everything she needed to believe in it.

They were as beautiful as in the picture framed in their living room of the Moulin Rouge program in their last Olympics. Her dad was spotting some grey hairs now on his temples and her mom had laugh lines around her eyes - _It's all your father's fault, Emma,_ she'd say, loving every laugh they ever shared. But it was their history; everything they did in their lives and their careers; the people they were to their community, to the sport her family loved and to each other and their child. There was no better reason to believe in every word the one and only Tessa Virtue-Moir - who happened to be her mother, said to her.

She was there because of their passion and love for the sport, and forever to each other.

"And the final score for Anna Sokolov is 160.93" She heard it before she saw the image."

Emma was second on the podium.

Scott looked at her, waiting for her reaction. She moved her eyes from the screen to him, those gorgeous green eyes. He was expecting everything, but the happiness with no reservations that came next.

"I made it!" She jumped out of the chair and threw herself into her parents' arms.

Always expect the unexpected from Emma and Patrick Virtue-Moir, he would always need to remind himself.

"You did, love, we are so proud of you!" Tessa kissed her hair, squeezing her daughter in between them.

Out of nowhere, Patrick appeared to join the family celebration. "You won Emma! you won!"

"I did, little bro!" The admiration in the boy's eyes made her feel like a super girl because it was exactly how he saw her.

Patrick climbed into Scott's arms and all four of them joined their head and arms. _That was the Virtue-Moir hug._

"Dad?"

"Yes, Em?" He looked down at her.

"I want the gold next year." She smiled sheepishly.

He threw his head back and laughed heartily. "Let's get you the silver first, missy."

Well, she was a Virtue-Moir after all, and it was just the beginning of a beautiful journey for her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter is finally up! Am I done with this fam? not sure, we'll see. For now, I have some angst to focus on...
> 
> Writing this fic and this outtake was so much fun. I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did! And please, let me know what you think about it! 
> 
> Thanks for reading and for the lovely comments, they are the best part of sharing my writing with you.
> 
>  
> 
> You know where to find me, twitter @claire_smh


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